Ghosts of Aberglaslyn – The Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway

Description

The heady and fascinating story of political manoeuvrings, dashed hopes, obstructionism and technology is the subject of this well researched book by John Manners and Michael Bishop. Originally published in 2016 and out of print for some years, this revised edition includes some new illustrations and map and an updated and corrected text.

If the aspirations of the promoters of the Portmadoc, Beddgelert & South Snowdon Railway had been realised, electric trains might now be carrying passengers between Porthmadog and Caernarfon. Incorporated in 1901 but never opened to traffic, the PBSSR scheme involved politicians and businessmen from England and Wales, including the father of a famous orchestra conductor, a company based in Scotland and technology from a Hungarian locomotive builder.

John Manners was, until his retirement, a design engineer with Parsons Peebles Generation Ltd, the successor company to Bruce Peebles & Company that supplied the electrical equipment for the PBSSR. Michael Bishop as an author has devoted many hours of research in national and regional archives to the history of the PBSSR and its associated companies and written many articles on the subject.

The book comprises over 120 pages of text and a rich collection of photographs.

NOTE: This is a Pre-order and the book will be published early 2026.